PRSR | Chapter 5.3

The monster’s leather was thick and tough, making it much harder to butcher than the Goblin. I thought I had built my strength and stamina running around in the Tutorial Field, but I was still just a barely awakened person, so this was tough.

“…Ah!”

In the end, while struggling to tear the leather, I accidentally cut my hand.

And it was deeper than usual.

“Soul!”

Jjikjjiki rushed over and grabbed my hand.

“Phew. This is it for today.”

If I continued butchering in this condition, I would definitely get infected, so we needed to head back to the village for proper treatment. I regretted not preparing healing potions in advance since I had not expected to butcher today.

“Soul. Soul, are you okay?”

“I am fine. Let us buy potions on the way.”

“Wait, I will handle the rest.”

Before I could stop him, Jjikjjiki grabbed the butchering knife and swiftly cut through the Orc leather.

“…….”

Was the Orc leather always this easy to peel?

“Done.”

Even though it was his first try, Jjikjjiki’s butchering skills were not bad at all. In fact, because of his strength, the cut was very clean. With just a bit more practice, he would probably be able to butcher high-quality leather faster than I could.

“I learned by watching Soul. I am always watching you.”

To think he could be this skilled just from watching me. Could it be that his talent stat had an effect?

“Let us go now, Soul. I will carry the stuff.”

“Uh… okay. First, let us go to the potion shop… Whoa!”

Jjikjjiki tossed the large Orc leather over his shoulder with one hand and lifted me with the other. Then, he started running toward the village.

“What are you doing! Put me down!”

“No way. You are bleeding. Let me carry you.”

It was nice that we got back to the village quickly with such speed, but all the attention we were getting from the people around us because Jjikjjiki was carrying a giant leather and me in his arms was not so great.

At least he could have put the leather in his inventory.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

I tried to hide my face by covering it with both hands.

As soon as we arrived at the potion shop, I bought a basic healing potion and poured it onto my injured palm. The cut stung for a moment, but the bleeding stopped right away. The wound was deep, so it was not fully healed, but it should be fine if I left it like this.

“Three basic healing potions and one intermediate, please.”

I bought some extra potions for emergencies. Basic potions were available at the general store, but intermediate ones could only be bought at potion shops or temples. Since there were not any potion shops or temples in Beginner Village or Belford, this was the first time I was able to buy an intermediate potion.

‘Advanced potions… are way too expensive.’

If I had an advanced potion, it would be a huge help for Jjikjjiki, who is always the one leading the charge against monsters. I was a bit disappointed.

‘I need to see how much HP recovers with one potion.’

That way, I would be able to use potions more efficiently. Though raising my health stat would probably be the most efficient method.

“Let us go, Soul. Hurry up and ride on me.”

“I… I am fine…”

I struggled not to get carried, dragging my exhausted body back to the inn. Jjikjjiki, still unaccustomed to climbing the stairs in his human form, wobbled as he made his way up to the second floor.

It was a little cute. Just a little.

“Oh, by the way, how is the special quest going?”

“I cleared it. Now we can give up on Belford and set Trine as the quest area.”

“Is there any warning or anything? Like, if we change the quest area, it could cause problems, or we might be at a disadvantage for future quests.”

“Hmm. It says that any incomplete quests in Belford will not give rewards anymore.”

“Then let us change the area to Trine. Is that okay?”

“I am fine with anywhere, as long as Soul is by my side.”

Jjikjjiki, who casually dropped that awkward line, waved his fingers in the air.

“Done.”

“Good job.”

“Are you praising me?”

Jjikjjiki, who had been staring into the air, suddenly turned to face me. For him, praise meant kisses. And he was about to press his lips to mine.

I responded firmly.

“No.”

Jjikjjiki pouted in disappointment.

“We will wash up later, but let us eat first.”

“Okay. What should we have? Tonkatsu?”

“Cheers.”

I took out the apples that I had already peeled and placed in a container and set them on the table. Jjikjjiki’s eyes sparkled.

“Apple!”

“We were supposed to eat them on the way to Trine, but we did not.”

“Have you carried them all the way since then? For me? Thinking of me?”

“Do not be silly. The apples I bought back then were eaten a while ago. These are the ones I just bought in Trine.”

“You bought them for me, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Soul, you bought apples for me? I am so happy.”

Jjikjjiki smiled brightly and picked up a slice of apple, taking a big bite. Crunch. There was no more sound of the apple being gnawed on and scraped.

Then Jjikjjiki suddenly raised his head and stared into the air. It was the same reaction as when checking the system window.

“Soul. I got a new quest.”

“Did the quest update because the hunting zone changed? Is it another monster hunt?”

“Yeah. This time, it is to hunt orcs.”

From goblins to orcs, these names were familiar to people who liked fantasy novels or fantasy-style games. The rest of the world was messy, but thinking about the meticulous group of administrators who only cared about world-building made my teeth grind.

“I think the monster we killed earlier was probably an orc. How many do we need to hunt?”

“Twenty.”

That is unfortunate. If we had received the quest first and tested our skills, it would have been way more efficient.

“Should we go hunting now?”

“No. You must have had a hard time travelling a long distance. Let us rest today and go tomorrow. Keep eating.”

‘Still, if it is Jjikjjiki, he will clear it in no time.’

I quietly watched Jjikjjiki eating the apple. Noticing my gaze, Jjikjjiki flashed a smile at me. It made me feel a little strange.

I hesitated for a moment before taking out the bracelet I had bought for Jjikjjiki and placing it next to the apple dish.

“What is this?”

“It is a gift.”

“A gift!”

Jjikjjiki’s eyes sparkled with delight.

“It is a black gem that matches your hair colour.”

My hair colour? The round, small, black gem looks more like Jjikjjiki’s eyes than my hair, does not it?

“Thank you. I will treasure it forever.”

Jjikjjiki immediately rolled up his sleeves, ready to wear the bracelet. A brown cloth was wrapped around his wrist.

“Is this the scarf you were wearing around your neck?”

“Yeah. It is matching clothes with Soul. Now that my neck has gotten too thick, I wrapped it around my arm.”

Seeing the scarf that used to fit comfortably around his neck now tightening around Jjikjjiki’s wrist felt weird. He had grown bigger, but Jjikjjiki was still the same as I remembered. My family, who cherishes everything I give them.

It hit me that Jjikjjiki had truly come back to me.

“Thanks for the scarf and bracelet, Soul.”

Jjikjjiki thanked me again, wearing the bracelet next to the scarf with a cheerful smile. Then, he started to take off his clothes.

“What, what are you doing?!”

The touching atmosphere was shattered in an instant. I grabbed Jjikjjiki’s arm and stopped him.

A rat taking off its clothes just because he received a bracelet? Are you crazy?

“Why are you taking your clothes off?”

“Because it is uncomfortable.”

“You were fine wearing them until now.”

“I only wore them because the wolf explained that humans need to wear clothes when going outside. This is not outside.”

When I heard that explanation, chills ran down my spine. If I had taken Jjikjjiki to a restaurant without realising what he was thinking, it could have been a disaster. If he had taken off his clothes and said, “It is not outside, so it is okay to be naked,” we would have been dragged away for public indecency!

“Put it on.”

“…Do I have to?”

“If it is uncomfortable, I will lend you my pyjamas.”

“Soul’s pyjamas?”

Jjikjjiki quickly changed into the pyjamas I used to wear on Earth. Honestly, I expected it, but they were way too small. The buttons did not even close.

“…Let us just take them off. But only the top. You should keep the trousers on.”

“If Soul wants, I guess I have no choice.”

I am exhausted. I am really exhausted. My energy is completely drained.

‘Where did it all go wrong?’

Where did it go wrong, you ask? The moment I was dragged here without even awakening due to a system error, everything went wrong. If I were to blame, I should blame the managers, not Jjikjjiki.

“Sigh…”

I let out a deep sigh and collapsed onto the bed. I should take a bath… but I did not even have the energy for that.

“Soul.”

As I lay on the bed, Jjikjjiki climbed on top of me and leaned in, moving his lips toward mine.

“Kang Jjikjjiki, wait! Stop! Wait!”

“Hmm?”

I urgently shouted, stretching my hand out between Jjikjjiki and me. Jjikjjiki stopped right before his face touched my hand.

“What are you doing right now?”

“Today is the kiss day. We promised to do it when we got back to the inn.”

I agreed to it out of a wish to avoid awkwardness in front of others, and now this was the result!